JOPLIN, MO.--- What some regard as one of the oldest professions in the world, is finding it's way off of the street corners and onto computer screens.
"There's a lot of prostitution that takes place over the internet, as far as setting up the meets and what not, so we are actively addressing that issue as it affects Joplin," says Lt. Brian Lewis, Joplin Police.
Joplin police officers are increasing their online presence to help cut down on this crime in our area.
"For one, it's against the law, but for two, it's a quality of life issue for our residents and for our business owners because they will use businesses and local hotels as part of their trade," says Lewis.
A trade local teen councilors say adversely affect a vulnerable part of our population.
"I think, with runaways, prostitution, and sex trafficking become a bigger concern because either they are trying to earn money to survive or they are searching for love," says Jen Black, House of Hope.
Selling sexual services is typically a misdemeanor offense. Joplin police say this particular crime tends to be linked to others.
"When you conduct operations like this, you're going to run into other crimes such as narcotics, stolen property, and different things of that nature so those lead to other crimes," says Lewis.
Police aren't the only ones working to stop and prevent this trend in Southwest Missouri.
"As far as organizations in town, we would love to follow up with that so if the police can do their jobs and eliminate some of that then we can do our job and offer the emotional support," says Lewis.
Officers add that many times people in this trade travel along the I-44 corridor. It's not unlikely for an arrest to produce people from other metropolitan areas such as Kansas City, Springfield, or Tulsa.
Detectives say soliciting sex online is often dangerous for people buying it as they sometimes get robbed.
Detectives say soliciting sex online is often dangerous for people buying it as they sometimes get robbed.
